Internal-combustion engine.



R. B. OWEN.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 8, I9I5.

1,297,897. Patented Mar. 18,1919.

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45 Vcrank shaft vertically disposed, and thus the UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

' f *Hermann OWEN, or WASHINGTON, `DISTRICT or COLUMBIA.

n INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

:To all whom t may concern.' f

. Be it known that LRIVCHARD B. OWEN, a citizen of the Tnited4 States, residing' -at Washington, in the District of Columbia,

have invented certain new and useful Im- ,n

-provements in` Internal- Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification. Y

This invention relates to an improvement in internal combustion engines and more particularly to a fuel or gasolene tank for use with the same, Vit being anobject of my invention to construct and mount the tank in a manner that the fly wheel is rejceived in a. yrecess provided therein.

A further object is to provide a cover to ylit over the recess and entirely close in the fly Wheel, together with releasable means to hold the cover inthe closed relation and arrangedy yto permit opening of the same to allow. manual movement of the lfly wheely to i .startthe engine.

A .ein frueher Object is te provide a handle mounted on` theffly wheel at a kpoint to y "through a portion of the rimof the flywheel bellaccessiblefin the starting. operation and Vvarranged to move to a position .that the cover may be closed Isubsequent to thestarting of the engine.

invention relates to still other novel kfeatures of yconstruction and combination of parts which be hereinafter more particularly described in connection with the accompanying drawings and pointed out in .the appended claims.

` Inthe drawings.:-

AFigure -1 is atop plan view of one embodi- 'ment' ofmy inventionL Y Fig.-2 :av-transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. .fFig. 43 is a fragmentarysectional view to better illustrate .the mounting of the` starting handle.

. I-n/the present instance theinternal combustion engineis illustrated as lhaving the crank case 1 has the crank shaft ybearings 2 extending upwardly and downwardly therev from, vthe crank-shaft 3 ,being journaled in made preferably substantially U-shaped asV f illustrated virl- 1411s. 1,. eed'ihisrteekis Y Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 1s, 1919.

yApplication.med October 8, 19.15. Serial No. 54,842.

disposed around the bearing 2 of the engine and is supported by any form of suit- Fig. 1, and the flywheel 8 is mounted on the crank shaft 3'to be inclosed at its sides. y

.by the upstanding portion of the tank.

In the open portion of the Ushaped tank a magneto 9 is fitted and this magneto may be driven through the gear 10 on the shaft thereof and the Vgear 11 mounted on the rcrank shaft 3. It will beunderstood that where a magneto is to be installed it is preferable that the tank 4, be made of the U- shaped form, but where it is not desired to install the magneto, the tank may be made substantially continuous around the Ycrank shaft and where this is ldone it will be `understood thatthe recess 7 willfbe continued. in this annular extent entirely around the shaft yto be swung to a position toy lit over and close the recessed portion.

AV handle 14 is provided on the cover 12 to facilitate movement; thereof, and a Vsuitable ca tch l15 is provided yon the tank to engage with a portion of the cover to releasably secure the same in the closed relation. In someV instances it may be found advisable to secure the fly wheel upon the crank shaft by the .use of a nut 16, and under such circumstances it will be found necessary to provide the cover 12 kwith a boss 17to receive the nut during the working of the engine yand when the cover is closed. f l

As the cover 12, when closed, `lits closely adjacent theouter face of the fly wheel, it is desirable that a .starting handlebe yprovided on Ithe fly wheel which will move to a position .subsequent tothe .starting of the engine that ,no projection will be offered from .the face ofthe wheel.

As is better illustrated in 3, the rim i of the fly wheel 8 is recessed at 18 ,andv a handle 19 ismounted on a pivot pin 20 which extends `substantially' Vradially in the Vily wheel, and. by thus :arranging the parts thev handle 19 may be raised from the recess to extend from the wheel to permit starting of the engine and When the fly vheel has attained any considerable momentum, Will fall back again into the recess so that it is flush With or belov: the outer surface of the fly Wheel and the cover may be closed.

ln starting the engine, the handle 19 is raised to extend from the fly Wheel in a relation substantially parallel with the line of extent of the crank shaft, this handle is grasped and the desired movement to start the engine is given to the fly vfheel, then as the engine is started, the handle is released from the grasp and again automati lall,Y falls into th recess after Which the cover 12 may be swung around its hinged connection at i3 to a closed position and is releasably held in the closed relation by the catch l5.

llllhile l have herein shown and described but one specific form cf my invention, it Will lee understood that the cover might take various other forms and be fitted in divers other ways, and also that the remaining parts of the structure might be varied Wit-i out departing from the spirit and scope of my invention and hence l do not vvish to be limited except for such limitations as may appeal' in the claims.

l claim l. ln combination With an internal combustion engine having the fly Wheel thereof adapted for use in starting J(he engine, a fuel tank mounted adjacent the fly wheel and shaped to cover the same at the rim edge thereof and to leave the outer face exposed for manual manipulation in the starting of the engine, and a cover hingedly mounted on the fuelltank to be closed over the fly Wheel.

2. ln combination with an internal co1nbustion engine having the fly Wheel thereof arranged to he manually moved to start the engine, a fuel tank having a recess therein mounted on the supporting parts of the engine to have the fly Wheel received in the recess thereof and to thus cover the ily Wheel at the rim edge, and a cover mounted on the fuel tank to be closed over the fly Wheel subsequent to the starting operation.

3. ln combination With an internal combustion engine having the fly Wheel thereof mounted on one end of the engine shaft, a fuel tank having a recess formed therein of substantially the shape of the fly Wheel and which fuel tank is mounted around the engine shaft in such relation that the fly Wheel is received in the recess, and a cover pivotally mounted on the fuel tank at one side of the recess and shaped to be swung to cover over the recess and consequentlv cover the dy wheel.

4f. ln combination With an internal combustion engine having the ily Wheel thereof mounted on one end of the engine shaft,

Leanser fuel tank having a recess formed therein of substantially the shape of the Hy Wheel and which fuel tank is mounted around the engine shaft in such relation that the fly Wheel is received in the recess, a cover pivotally mounted on the fuel tank at one side of the recess and shaped to be swung to cover over the recess and consequently cover the fly Wheel, and means carried by the fuel tank on that side opposite to which the cover is pivoted, adapted to engage with the cover and hold the same in the closed position.

5. The combination of an internal combustion engine having a fly Wheel fitted at one end of the crank shaft, and a fuel tank shaped to be received around the crank shaft and provided vvith a recess to have the fly wheel fitted therein.

6. ln combination with an internal coinbustion engine having a fly Wheel mounted on one end of the shaft thereof and thus disposed avvay from the main parts of the engine, a fuel tank made open in its center to be received around the engine yshaft and having a recess in one side thereof to receive the fly .vheel and in Which the fly Wheel is inclosed with its outer side substantially flush with the face of the fuel tank.

7. The combination with an internal combustion engine of a fuel tank fitted around the crank shaft of the engine and provided with a recessed portion to receive the fly wheel of the engine, and a starting handle mounted on said fly Wheel to project from the recessed portion to permit manual movement of the Wheel during starting of the engine.

8. rlhe combination with an internal combustion engine of a fuel tank fitted around the crank shaft of the engine and provided with a recessed portion to receive the fly Wheel of the engine, and a starting handle movably mounted on said fly Wheel to project from the recess during the starting of the engine and arranged to automatically move to a position entirely Within the connes of the recessed portion after the engine is started. v

9. The combination with an internal combustion engine of al fuel tank fitted around the crank shaft of the engine and provided with a recessed portion to receive the Hy wheel of the engine, and a starting handle movably mounted on said fly Wheel to project from the recess during the starting of the engine and arranged to automatically move to a position entirely Within the conlines of the recessed portion after the engine is started, and a cover to close said recessed portion.

10. The combination With an internal combustion engine having the fly Wheel constructed to be manually moved to start the same, a starting handle movably tted to said fly Wheel to project therefrern the starting operation and to move from the position of projection when the engine is started, and a cover to Ht over lthe Hy wheel when the handle is moved from the position of projection.

11. The combination with an internal coinbustion engine having the Hy wheel constructed to be manually moved to start the same, a start-ing handle movably fitted to said Hy wheely to project therefrom during the startinfy operation and to move from the position of projection when the engine is started, a cover to Ht over the Hy wheel whenV the handle is moved from the position of projection, and mea-ns to hold the cover in the closed position. Y

12. In combination with an internal combustion engine having a Hy wheel mounted on one end of the shaft thereof and thus disposed away from the main parts of the engine, a fuel tank made open in its 'center to be received around the engine shaft and having a recess in one side thereof to receive the Hy wheely and in which the Hy, wheel is inclosed with its outer side substantially Hush with the face of the fuel tank, a cover pivotally mounted at one side of the recess and upon the fuel tank to be swung over to close the recess and cover the Hy wheel, and means carried by the tank to enga-ge with the cover and hold the same in the closed position.

13. The combination with an internalA combustion engine of a substantially U-shaped tank Htted around the crank shaft thereof and provided with a recessed portion formed adjacent the crank shaft to receive the Hy wheel and a cover to be received'over the recessed portion to inclose the Hy wheel.

14. The combination with an internal combustion engine of asubstantially U-shaped tank Htted around the crank. shaft thereof and provided with a recessed portion formed adjacent the crank shaft to receive the Hy wheel, a cover to be received over the recessed portion to inclose the Hy wheel, and means to hold the cover in a closed relation.

In testimony whereof I hereby afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD B. OWEN.

Witnesses:

IDALENE T. COOK, LEiLA A. PRICE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patenti. Washington, D. 0. 

